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Herodotus · Histories §8.36.1-8.36.2

Oracle on the Sacred Treasures and the Evacuation of Delphi

Passage 1338 of 1577 · Greek

Summary

Faced with the Persian advance, the Delphians consulted the oracle regarding the treasures; the god forbade moving them, leading the citizens to evacuate themselves to safety.

§8.36.1οἱ Δελφοὶ δὲ πυνθανόμενοι ταῦτα ἐς πᾶσαν ἀρρωδίην ἀπίκατο, ἐν δείματι δὲ μεγάλῳ κατεστεῶτες ἐμαντεύοντο περὶ τῶν ἱρῶν χρημάτων, εἴτε σφέα κατὰ γῆς κατορύξωσι εἴτε ἐκκομίσωσι ἐς ἄλλην χώρην.
When the Delphians heard this, they fell into utter panic, and being in great terror, they consulted the oracle about the sacred treasures, whether they should bury them under the earth or carry them away to another land.
ὁ δὲ θεός σφεας οὐκ ἔα κινέειν, φὰς αὐτὸς ἱκανὸς εἶναι τῶν ἑωυτοῦ προκατῆσθαι.
But the god forbade them to move these, saying that he himself was sufficient to protect his own property.
§8.36.2Δελφοὶ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες σφέων αὐτῶν πέρι ἐφρόντιζον.
Hearing this, the Delphians took thought for themselves.
τέκνα μέν νυν καὶ γυναῖκας πέρην ἐς τὴν Ἀχαιίην διέπεμψαν, αὐτῶν δὲ οἱ μὲν πλεῖστοι ἀνέβησαν ἐς τοῦ Παρνησοῦ τὰς κορυφὰς καὶ ἐς τὸ Κωρύκιον ἄντρον ἀνηνείκαντο, οἳ δὲ ἐς Ἄμφισσαν τὴν Λοκρίδα ὑπεξῆλθον.
They sent their children and wives across the sea to Achaea, and then, most of them climbed up to the peaks of Mount Parnassus and carried their belongings up to the Corycian cave, while others fled to Amphissa in Locris.
πάντες δὲ ὦν οἱ Δελφοὶ ἐξέλιπον τὴν πόλιν, πλὴν ἑξήκοντα ἀνδρῶν καὶ τοῦ προφήτεω.
Thus all the Delphians abandoned the city, except for sixty men and the prophet.

Notes

  1. §8.36.1κατορύξωσι — Deliberative subjunctive in an indirect question introduced by εἴτε... εἴτε... Although the main verb is in the past (ἐμαντεύοντο), which would allow a shift to the optative in classical prose, the subjunctive is retained to convey the vividness and urgency of the historical moment.
  2. §8.36.1αὐτὸς — An instance of nominative with infinitive. Although it is in an infinitive construction (with εἶναι), the subject of the infinitive is identical to the subject of the governing participle (φὰς, referring to ὁ θεός); hence, the nominative αὐτός is used instead of the accusative.
  3. §8.36.2ἀνηνείκαντο — An aorist middle of ἀναφέρω (Ionic form for ἀνηνέγκαντο). The middle voice highlights that they carried up 'their own' belongings, or withdrew 'themselves' for their own safety, reflecting personal interest or involvement.

Cite this passage

Herodotus, Histories §8.36.1-8.36.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0016.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.36.1-8.36.2

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